Most seaside towns have a long stretch of golden beach, a bustling pier and a charming promenade.
But some visitors heading to Southport, in Merseyside, are having difficulty just seeing its sandy shores.
Over the years, sand and sediment has been building up along Southport Beach leading to good conditions for vegetation to grow.
Nowadays, the council and locals are conflicted over whether to protect the natural habitats created by the accretion or to preserve the beach for leisure and tourism.
‘We were struggling to find the beach because of all the grass!’ Sunni Patel, who was visiting the area from Bolton, said.
A build up of sand and silt on Southport Beach has created good conditions for vegetation and grass to grow
She told the Liverpool Echo: ‘They could definitely make it a bit more beachy.’
Another visitor, Lauren Brown, said: ‘If they let vegetation, it’s not the best beach. There isn’t much here at the moment, and you can’t go out very far before it becomes muddy.’
She shared she would be supportive of keeping a part of the beach maintained for the public, and leaving the remaining area for wildlife.
Discussing the topic of Southport Beach ‘disappearing’ on Facebook, one local penned: ‘Southport is a Victorian seaside town and we should really have a proper beach.’
Another argued: ‘Southport Beach’ does exist but it’s now just beyond the end of the pier.
‘This sand bank is also preventing the area where the beach used to be from properly draining, hence the waterlogged nature.’
The local Green Party put forward a proposal to help save the remaining area of the beach and pier.
In a recent council meeting, Councillor Neil Doolin pushed the motion which argued: ‘Southport’s beach and pier form the natural focus of one of the town’s main visitor routes, stretching from Chapel Street railway station to the Victorian promenade, associated pier, lake, gardens and tourist attractions and on to the coast and beach.
‘It is an area with a coherent identity which works together as a key part of Southport’s local and visitor economy.’
But some locals and visitors are arguing the beach needs saving, with it now becoming hard to see the sand
The proposal highlights how the beach and seafront are areas that are ‘widely used and valued’ by walkers, cyclists and people simply wanting to enjoy the view.
‘The beach is important to both residents and visitors,’ it insisted, adding the pier is ‘a key reason’ why people visit the area which helps provide support for businesses and attractions.
Southport Pier dates back to 1860 and is currently undergoing a restoration project and has been closed since 2022 due to structural damage.
‘The Green Party believes it would be a great loss if the last remaining area of seafront sand at Southport was allowed to disappear without a serious effort to save it,’ the motion said.
The group proposed installing ‘low-cost measures’ including sand fences, wooden posts and partially buried boulders to help keep wind-blown sand on the beach.
They also pushed for the council to work with Natural England as well as save the remaining sandy area that’s left for public use.
However, by the end of the meeting, the council had voted against the proposals, with 25 votes for and 32 against.
The local Green Party put forward a motion to try and keep the remaining sand area in tact for public use
A Sefton Council spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘The natural accretion of the coast at Southport means that the sandy beach, rather than disappearing, is moving further out to sea. The salt marsh has grown where it used to be, and this has been going on for centuries.
‘The salt marsh is a more effective carbon sink than woodland and also acts as a natural, self-sustaining sea defence. It also has a beauty in its own right that is often of interest to ‘eco-tourists’ and people interested in exploring natural habitats. Its role in supporting biodiversity also attracts a host of plants and animals, including both breeding and wading birds.
‘There are recorded attempts to ‘clear’ the beach over previous decades, all of which have been costly and unsuccessful.
‘We are investing heavily in driving economic growth for Southport and Sefton as a whole, with projects underway including the £20m restoration of Southport Pier and construction of the Marine Lake Events Centre, which will attract more than 600,000 new visitors each year.’
Source link
CHECK OUT: Top Travel Destinations
READ MORE: Travel News
